Gaylord bowling program on the rise

Newest varsity sport draws record number of Gaylord athletes for 2004 season

GAYLORD - Don't look now, but the fastest growing sport at Gaylord High school may be … bowling.

That's right, bowling. Now officially in its second year of being an MHSAA sport, and for the third season offering a varsity Letter, the bowling team has attracted 36 athletes for the 2004 season. The number is, by far, the largest to come out for the squad.

The boys, with 24 on the varsity and JV, have set the bar high for this season. Having qualified for regionals a year ago, and losing only one bowler from that team, big things are expected this season.

"We always have high expectations for the boys," says coach Lisa Bakker, now in her seventh season as coach. "We have some tremendous talent on our first string."

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The first string is comprised of seniors Robert Kowalski and Eric Szymanski, junior Josh LaCross and sophomore Ken Young. Kowalski and Szymanski have both been on the team for four years, while Young returns for his second turn. LaCross is a newcomer.

The second string includes seniors Ken Rivers and Kurt Stewart, junior Jeremy Bergman and sophomore Josh Brunk. Alternates for the varsity are sophomore Josh Mater and freshman Matt Southworth.

The girls team should also be highly competitive, and they also return one of the best female bowlers in the area. Senior Sara Brunk, a state-qualifer in March of 2002, decided not to bowl as a junior and focus instead on volleyball. Sara has returned to the lanes for her senior season, though.

"She's great to have. She's even-tempered and competitive," Bakker said of Brunk. "She brings a quality to the team that excites the other girls to be competitive."

Bakker, along with assistant coaches J.R. Raymond, who starred for the Gaylord varsity the past two years, and Jim King, have high expectations for the '04 season. Bakker expects her teams to be in the thick of the conference race and she is hoping that the teams can make it through regionals and to the state meet.

She also plans to stress other aspects of bowling as well. "We need to teach the mental game as well as the physical game," Bakker noted.

The bowling teams have their first home tournament at the Gaylord Bowling Center on Saturday, Jan. 10. The multi-team invitational starts at 10 a.m. The public is invited to come and watch.